Login | July 16, 2025
The lunge
PETE GLADDEN
Pete’s World
Published: March 21, 2022
For those of you who have heard of it but are not yet doing it, I think this just might be the time for you to take the plunge. And for those of you who currently do it but never change it, now might be the time to spice it up. I’m talking here about the lunge.
Indeed, the lunge is one of those classic fitness exercises that everyone’s heard of, but when it comes to performing it - along with its many variations - well, that’s where many people shy away. Because let’s face it, the lunge can be a pretty daunting exercise to perform properly, as well as a very exhaustive exercise to engage in seriously.
Now the lunge is undoubtedly a lower body exercise, hitting darned near everything below the belt - quads, glutes, hip flexors, hamstrings and even the calfs. But actually, when it’s done properly the lunge can have a huge impact on the core. That impact is because the lunge is an exercise that requires unilateral leg movements (one leg at a time). Thus, these single-leg movements call upon the core muscles to act as stabilizers in order to facilitate balance, coordination, and stability. Think about it…working one leg at a time creates a less stable situation for the body as a whole, which in turn requires the spine and core to chip in in order to keep everything balanced.
Okay, now with respect to doing the forward lunge properly, that’s an area where I see far too many people missing the boat. So heres a short list of no-no’s I’ve culled out of the myriad of mistakes I regularly see committed in the gym: lunge stride is too short or too long; lead knee goes too far over the toes; upper body leans too far forward; lead knee bows inside or outside; unstable feet; herky-jerky movement (wobbly).
So here’s a quick primer on how you perform the forward lunge properly.
• Stand upright with feet together, chest forward, shoulders back
• Take a large step forward with one leg
• Lower trail knee towards the floor
• Descend until your trail knee touches or almost touches the ground. Ideally, you want to create a 90° bend in both knees
• Focus on keeping a majority of the weight on that lead foot once you contact the ground
• When in full lunge position the lead foot should be flat on the ground while the trail foot should be on the toes with heel off the ground
• Toes of both feet should be facing straight ahead. Legs should be aligned, and lead knee should be aligned directly above the foot
• To return to the starting position, drive through the heel of your lead foot and then push yourself back up to the start
• Repeat steps 1 through 8 for the opposite leg
Okay, so once you master the forward lunge, well, that’s when the world becomes your oyster, because there’s a whole host of variations you’ll want to try.
Reverse Lunge
Done backwards into a kneeling position, the reverse lunge can better eccentrically train the hamstrings and glutes while still stimulating the quads and core as does the forward lunge.
Walking Lunge
This variation really ups the ante with respect to one’s concentration, because the walking lunge requires much more in the way of balance, stability and coordination. Not only that but all the muscles of the forward trending leg tend to contract to a higher degree than they do in the forward lunge.
Stationary Lunge (Split Squat)
Want to reap some mobility and flexibility benefits from your lunge? Well, this slow motion vacation’s the ticket, because essentially the split squat is a very controlled, loaded stretch. Split squatting imparts strength even when in a deep range of motion.
Bulgarian Split Squat
Taking split squatting difficulty up a notch, the Bulgarian split squat requires the rear foot to be elevated on a bench while performing the exercise.
Lateral Lunge
As the name indicates, the lateral lunge requires movement to the side rather than forwards or backwards. And due to this lateral movement it has more of an impact on the adductor muscles (inner thigh muscles) and the calf muscles.
As you can see, from the simple forward lunge to the more complex Bulgarian split squat, lunging can offer a host of fitness benefits.
So don’t you think it’s time to take the plunge?